<p>we have both. I'm part of Sigma Delta Tau, which is a national one. Au's website states all the sororities that we have... i believe we have 7 sororities and 9 frats (not counting the 2 illegal ones) and we have a bunch of local ones... like the African American ones and the pre-law frat...</p>
<p>ok cool thanks</p>
<p>here is an excerpt taken from the Dean of the School of Public affairs... i thought i would share it w/ u guys... becuase I thought it was interesting:</p>
<p>The School of Public Affairs has been churning out top-rate graduates since it was established in 1934 at the request of President Franklin Roosevelt. Now, 70 years later, SPA is garnering accolades it never before has attained.</p>
<p>The proof lies in more than just its eye-catching No. 10 ranking in U.S. News & World Report, higher than the likes of Georgetown, Columbia, NYU, and more than 200 others. SPA's successes are demonstrated every day in the corridors of municipal buildings in Washington and government towns large and small throughout the country, where its graduates routinely draw on their educations to enable them to effectively and efficiently serve the public.</p>
<p>for full article look here:
<a href="http://admissions.american.edu/public/contentPage/contentPage.asp?navID=129&parId=863&childId=383&docID=244%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.american.edu/public/contentPage/contentPage.asp?navID=129&parId=863&childId=383&docID=244</a></p>
<p>this is one of the things that attracted me to AU. Its one of the best schools to go to if you want to study govt and such, plus the CLEG major. So yea thats great.</p>
<p>Doublelayer, just out of curiosity, where else did you apply (get in), and what made you choose American over the others? And, are you glad you chose American?</p>
<p>...wouldn't be here acting as AU's #1 cheerleader if i didn't love AU.</p>
<p>With that being said... these are the schools that I got into:</p>
<p>-American University
-Ithaca College
-Quinnipiac College
-Binghamton University (SUNY)
-SUNY New Paltz</p>
<p>with that being said, it was really between AU & Bing. Bing is ranked much higher then AU, plus it is SO much less expensive, it is closer to home, and a lot of people from my hs was going there (which at the time i considered a good thing). Plus, coming from NY, its considered a really good school. </p>
<p>I came to AU for an overnight stay last April. Before coming down, I was depressed and unsure about where i wanted to go and what I wanted to do, seeing as my top 2 schools rejected me (skid more & GW). </p>
<p>I left the overnight stay, beyond thrilled with AU. I loved the location, the campus, the people, and the weather. I loved the fact that AU had a great campus, great people, and great classes. Through this program i got to shadow a current student (aka live in the dorms, hang out with her and her friends, and view the dining hall) and when she was in class, I had my own programming going on which included meeting the dean and touring the campus. The entire train ride home i couldn't stop smiling becuase i loved AU so much. As soon as i came home, i told my dad to cancel the trip up to bing and Ithaca, because I KNEW that i wanted to go to AU. </p>
<p>Even though bing is a better school, its good enough for me to know that i could have gone if i wanted to, but it wasn't for me. AU has smaller classes, a smaller more personal campus, and the ability to have Washington in my backyard. If i wanted an internship at bing, i would have to leave bing for a semester in order to do this. Being at AU i don't have to go anywhere. Washington is right in my backyard. In addition a lot of the profs are adj profs, meaning that being a prof is a "hobby" as on of my profs in my SIS class says. He works for the UN security council and in his spare time, he teaches at AU. Forgive me if i'm wrong, but schools not located in Washington DC, such as SUNY bing, just doesn't have these types of profs teaching at their institutions. </p>
<p>AU has been better then i expected. I met the best people, have had the best classes, and overall i have had a wonderful freshman experience. If i had to do it all over again, I would choose AU in a heart beat!!! </p>
<p>hope that helps... feel free to PM/ IM/ post more of your Questions here</p>
<p>-Alyssa</p>
<p>Do any of the internships pay (i'm trying to make the financial thing work) and how easy is it to get used to the city? (i'm from a tiny town in upstate NY and haven't used subways or had to navigate a city before).</p>
<p>haha i'm from a tiny town in NY as well, but yeah... i'm not going to lie... i'm a ditz. I get lost and i do stupid things. But DC's metro system is beyond easy to navigate (once you get here you'll understand). </p>
<p>Also DC is split up into like "good" and "safe" areas. AU is located in NW DC, which is a safe area. SE, is a really scary area, which i would NEVER go 2. If you just travel in groups, you should be fine, until u get used to the city life. Do realize that AU isn't located in the "city" it is located in a residential area, much like your prob used 2. But what is nice, 10 mins (driving) away from AU IS the city. So you can have the best of both worlds. You can be close to the city (for like jobs/ internships) but live in a place which seems safer and more familiar.
I
'm sure some internships pay. AU has a "hot jobs listing" which lists all the jobs/ interships around. In addition there is also work study programs. If you do not qualfy for this, they open it up to the general public like octish... since may jobs aren't filled, or people get fired. You can get a job this way.</p>
<p>I wouldn't count on internships to help you pay for school. If you ever get paid anything, it's a very small stipend. Just work your butt off in HS, get yourself one of those sweet Merit scholarships. You can go to AU for about the same amount as your state school.</p>
<p>i got a 25k scholarship, but it still costs more than my parents are willing to pay. i made 2k this summer from an internship and will be working there again this summer. i'm just looking for ways to not have to be poor when i graduate. especially if i want to go on to grad school.</p>
<p>"Also DC is split up into like "good" and "safe" areas. AU is located in NW DC, which is a safe area. SE, is a really scary area, which i would NEVER go 2."</p>
<p>Actually, there are parts in SE that are safe and desirable places to go to. ie-Eastern Markert. And trust, there are plenty bad spots in NW too.</p>
<p>well of course there is always execptions... but if you look at Heart middle school, located in SE, thats scary and sketch, (ie: needles in the playground, knives on the grass, etc) and i'd never go there alone. </p>
<p>One just always has to be careful, no matter where they are. Just be smart, be aware, and you should be fine. </p>
<p>But coming from a small town in NY, whereas i find NYC "scary" the area of AU is away from the city so it seems more fimiliar and residential (ie: because your not in the city, you don't hear cop cars and traffic like you would hear in a school that is in the city, like GW or NYU)</p>
<p>Hi Alyssa! Agatha here. You can call me Aggie for short =)
Thanks for starting this thread for us. You seem super duper. </p>
<p>I will be a freshman at AU in the fall and I have some questions for you. </p>
<ol>
<li>I'm pretty weird and quirky and don't get along with people easily. Any chance I'll make friends anyway?</li>
<li>I have a strong Boston accent. Will I get taunted?</li>
<li>Are there any dorms with bunk beds? If so, which ones? I must request not to be in one of these rooms as I have a fear of bunk beds. (Bad summer camp experiences.)</li>
<li>Can't wait to meet you, I hope we'll be the best of friends! </li>
<li>YANKEES SUCK.</li>
</ol>
<p>dear aggie:</p>
<p>you seem like one swell girl. Let me answer your questions in the order your presented them:</p>
<ol>
<li>i'm sure your'll make friends... AU is a very accecpting comminity</li>
<li>AU has people from all over... with boston accents, african, souther, etc... you shouldn't be made fun of</li>
<li>I'm sorry about your bad bunk bed experience, unless you are in a triple, then you shouldn't have a bunk bed type of living arrangement. If you are in a triple, then take the beds that aren't bunked (its lofted)</li>
<li>haha suuuure</li>
<li>umm... okay. I don't follow baseball becuase of a bad camp experience myself (btw.... what camp did u go 2????) so yeah....</li>
</ol>
<p>good luck aggs and have a great summer!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>I am an incoming transfer student. I have finished my first two years at a community college. I applied to Park Bethesda but I am second on the waitlist, so most likely I will be in a dorm in the fall. What I am most concerned about is the bathrooms in the dorms. How does that work with one bathroom located on each floor? Are they dirty? Are there shower stalls? I am really curious how that works. And finally transportation, I was in DC last summer and I liked riding the metro but I hated the bus. I know it costs to have a car on campus, that doesn't bother me but does having a car make things easier? like going to a place where a metro isn't located? I am from sothern california so car is king out here, I own a VW Beetle and I was thinking about purchasing a bigger car because a two isn't working for me. Any info would help! Thanks
Amanda</p>
<p>Hi Amanda,</p>
<p>Park Bethesda is a cool place, but again YOU NEED A CAR if you want to live there becuase it is so far away and the shuttle is a pain.</p>
<p>Per year, I believe it is $860 to park on campus. If you want a car, you have to pay it, it doesn't matter if you live i n the dorms or in pb. </p>
<p>Just about eveything is metro accessible, but it takes A LONG time to get there. For example, if you want to shop at Georgetown, if you take the metro, this is what you have to do:
You start by riding shuttle bus from AU's campus to Tetley , then taking the metro from Tetley to metro center and then switching lines from metro center to GW, and walking from GW to gtown... it comes out b eing about 1 hr- 1 1/2 trip. If you drive from AU to the shops at g-town it takes about 15 mins.</p>
<p>So if time is an issue, lets say you have a job in gtown, it would make more sense to have a car, becuase it just takes too long to take the metro. But if you just go to g-town once a month or so to shop, then it really isn't THAT big of a deal and you don't have a car.</p>
<p>In the end, it helps if you have a car, but what is nice is that we are located in city with metro so that you can get around to just about everywhere... it just takes TIME. If you are in a position, where you can't afford</p>
<p>Having a car helps, but is it a necessity? no... but it helps.</p>
<p>You think bringing a motorcyle to DC is overkill?</p>
<p>nah... but you still have to pay to park your motorcyle (its like $600 per semster). Again it helps, becuase if you don't then you have to walk or take the metro, and that takes A LOT of time.</p>
<p>oh man.. </p>
<p>PAAK THE CAA IN THE HAHVAD YAAAHD. </p>
<p>go play in traffic. </p>
<p>REVA I CAN'T TAKE THEM ANYMORE - I QUIT. </p>
<p>get it now?</p>
<p>oh yeah........ forgot to add.... bathrooms @ AU</p>
<p>They are what they are. I mean there are cleaners that come in to clean the bathroom, but they aren't there 24/7. Meaning they come once a day, so if there is a person who lives on your floor who is a mess... then you can be in for some trouble. This year i didn't have 2 much problems w/ the bathrooms.... everyone was respectful for the most part. I mean there are always times that you walk into a stall and someone didn't flush.. it happens.... u deal... and u move 2 the next stall.
The showers have 2 curtains. One in front of the actual shower area, and another curtains in front of an area to which u can dry off. </p>
<p>How the bathrooms work: there are 2 for each sex on each floor (4 in total, 2 for guys, 2 for girls) , one for the north side and one for the south side. </p>
<p>To redsoxfan... ohhh your baaaaaaaad... haha and i luv it!!!!!!! lol ;-)</p>